Range Realigns – SpaceX CRS-3 mission targets April 14

April 4, 2014 by Chris Bergin

Thanks in part to the successful launch – at the first attempt – of the Atlas V with the DMSP-5D3 F-19 satellite on Thursday, teams have re-planned the next two launches from Cape Canaveral. The next Atlas V – with the NROL-67 satellite – is targeting April 10, while SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1 launch with the CRS-3 Dragon is working towards an April 14 ride uphill towards the International Space Station (ISS).
Cape Launches:

See Also

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) set a placeholder for April 10, although it was uncertain as to whether this target would remain in place, due to the large amount of work required to bring the Range asset back on line.

Continuing L2 updates since noted the inclusion of the “Radar 1.16″ asset as aiding the upcoming Atlas V launch from SLC-41, which is now set on the schedule as “Range Approved” for April 10, with a window ranging from 1345 to 1426 local time.

However, the date only became viable after the successful launch of the Atlas V on the other side of the country. This was due to spacing requirements between Atlas V launches, a seven day period that allows for a data review of the previous rocket’s performance and for the associated teams to travel to support the next mission.

Had the Vandenberg Atlas V suffered a delay, the April 10th slot may have become available for SpaceX to take a shot at launching the Falcon 9 v1.1 with the CRS-3 Dragon to the ISS. NASA managers had created such an opportunity for such an event.

However, now the Atlas V with NROL-67 is confirmed for April 10, documentation on Friday morning showed SpaceX has opted for the first optimum launch date placeholder, which is April 14. SpaceX officially announces the new launch date target later on Friday.

All launch dates are NET (No Earlier Than) until closer to launch – and the Falcon 9 v1.1’s T-0 may be slightly refined over the coming days for an optimum pursuit of the ISS. However, an April 14 launch of the SpaceX mission would result in berthing with the International Space Station (ISS) around 1100 on April 16.

Due to optimum transit to the ISS preferences, the next launch opportunity for the CRS-3 mission will be four days later, on April 18.

SYLDAs are light-weight structures adding around 500 kg of mass to an Ariane 5 ECA mission. It is assembled from composite sandwich panels, and is capable of carrying an upper satellite weighing up to 6.5 metric tonnes in the dynamic and thermal environment encountered in-flight.

Flight controllers in Houston successfully conducted the Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) on Thursday, using the Progress 53 (M-21M) thrusters at the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module for a 3 minute, 40 second firing.

This burn raised the altitude of the Orbital Outpost by a half-mile and provide an extra margin of clearance from the orbital path of a spent SLYDA.

(Images: SpaceX, NASA, ULA and L2)

(Click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/ – to view how you can access the best space flight content on the entire internet and directly support NASASpaceflight.com’s running costs)